BOBi League Returns after Winter Break

26th March 2017

The Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Inclusive (BOBi) League is back after its recent winter break with disability football teams from across the region competing in the 4th instalment of this seasons competition. The event took place on Sunday 26th March at Oxford City’s Community Arena venue.

The BOBi League is a football league providing regular footballing opportunities for children and adults, across Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire who have physical and learning difficulties. This edition of league fixtures took teams past the halfway point but still with lots to play for as teams compete in multiple fixtures during each event.

In the Premiership A Division it was Streets Revolution Bicester who increased the gap at the top of the table to 16 points after some impressive performances but they did have a scare when bottom of the table CFP FC took the lead twice to finally succumb 3-2 in the game of the day. It was a different story in the Premiership B league where Oxford Clinic has closed the gap on Aylesbury Academicals to only 5 points. Whilst Aylesbury beat Oxford Clinic 2-0 they struggled against the rest of the teams in the division to allow Oxford Clinic to close the gap over the course of the fixture. With only two fixtures left this league is finely poised for an exciting end of the season.

Moving into the Championship Division it was Reading FC Blue who continued their fine form to again go unbeaten in this round of fixtures and surly to an unassailable lead in the division. It was a day to forget for Bracknell Cavaliers who only record 1 victory and allowed their grasp of 2nd place to come under jeopardy as they now only sit 6 points ahead of Northampton Town in the league standings.

There is no tighter division than League 1 as four teams are only separated by four points in the league table. Leaders Northampton only won 1 game this past weekend which has allowed Oxford City Blues to narrow the gap to only 1 point as they went unbeaten. MK Dons Falcons and MK Dons Bucks then sit 3rd and 4oth only 3 and 4 points back respectively.

MK Ospreys potentially posted the result of the day with the 4th placed team toppling the current league leaders Slough Town FC 1-0. This result certainly helped their sister team MK Dons Panthers who went unbeaten to reduce the lead at the top of the table and setup a very interesting next round of fixtures in this division.

After the conclusion of this round the Conference division couldn’t be closer with Marlow Gateway and Oxford City Nomads tied at the top of the league with 66 points each. It was Marlow Gateway who edged it 2-0 when the two teams met and currently lead the division on goal difference. Further down the division it was a good performance from Northampton Town who recorded some excellent results to only be 5 points behind the front runners.

In the youth sections it is the MK Dons leading both the U16 and U12 leagues. The MK Eagles might not have had their best day at the office losing 1-0 to Aylesbury United but they did beat 2nd play MK Pigeons in the top of table clash. Northampton Town also had a day to remember going unbeaten in the event but currently lie in 6th position. The U12 section saw a strong showing by Marlow Youth who posted a very impressive 1-0 victory over MK Tigers which was only their second loss all season as they also lost to Risborough Rangers earlier in the meeting. Despite these two losses they still sit 9 points clear at the top and surely still confident of securing the league title. If you would like to view any of the league tables and results please click HERE.

In the female league we welcomed a new team as Marlow Gateway Ladies competed for the first time against Northampton Town and Banbury United. They weren’t the only new team to participate in this edition of the BOBi League as Northampton Town U16’s competed for the first team.

Teams compete in 6 annual fixtures with the 5th festival taking place on April 23rd at Oxford City Community Arena. The final festival will then take place in May at Moulton College in Northamptonshire, further information can be found on the new BOBi League website (www.bobileaguefootball.org.uk). New teams can be entered at any stage during the season and if your club is interested in starting a disability football team please contact Disability Football Development Officer Jonathan Coles on jonathan.coles@berks-bucksfa.com or 01235 558451.